Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the story of Lily and Snow Flower, two girls born in the 19th century in China's Hunan province and bonded as a laotong pair. This relationship makes them closer than sisters or even husband and wife, but the pressures of the time and Lily's impetuous mindset tears them apart. The two experience wildly divergent lives before Lily returns to Snow Flower to nurse her through her final illness. The story is narrated by an old and regretful Lily.
Boasting the largest collection of book summaries, BookRags is the best option for titles you can't find elsewhere. They offer all of the basics (quotes, chapter summary, characters, historical context, literary criticism) but also walk through a few major topics that recur throughout the book, which can be particularly useful for essay writing.